Biography

This Dutch heavy metal band was founded in 1996 by Sharon den Adel (12 July 1974; vocals) and Robert Westerholt (b. 1 January 1975; guitar), who had previously played together in Voyage. Jeroen van Veen (b. 26 October 1974; bass), Ivar de Graaf (drums), Martijn Westerholt (keyboards) and Michiel Papenhove (guitar) joined the couple in the initial line-up of Within Temptation. The band made its recording debut on the DSFA label with 1997s Enter, a fairly mundane example of the goth metal genre with den Adels vocals fighting for space alongside Westerholts death metal growls.

Ciro Palma replaced de Graaf between 1998 and 1999, during which period the band completed the EP The Dance. After a brief hiatus to work on other projects and complete the building of a new recording studio, Within Temptation returned in 2000 with a busy touring schedule and the new studio album Mother Earth. The band jettisoned the death metal growling...